When I said no, he laughed.
“Don’t tell my wife I lost them,” he said. “Deal?”
“Deal,” I said. “Am I okay?”
“So far, yes,” he said. “Amazingly, yes. We’re going to keep you around though. At least another couple days. Make sure nothing pops up and surprises us. I’d like to get you walking around today too. See how you feel.”
“Hungry,” I said.
Dr. Joe laughed. “Okay. Let me see what I can do about that.”
He looked at Kip and Barr.
“Anything we can do?” Barr asked.
“Being here is good enough,” Dr. Joe said.
My eyes looked to the door.
I frowned.
There was one missing.
And that one…
I swallowed hard.
That one was the one.
“If you need anything, Tinsley, you just ask,” Dr. Joe said. “Page the nurse or have your friends get help. And that means for anything. Got that? Any new or sudden pain. Any change in pain level. Vision. Confusion. Numbness anywhere.”
“Got it,” I said. “Thank you.”
As Dr. Joe walked to the door, it opened again.
Gi and Iris breezed right by the doctor, both of them in tears.
“Ti,” Gi said.
“You’re awake,” Iris said.
I thought they were going to jump into the bed with me.
I opened my mouth to say something but lost the words.
Pres walked through the door next.
Last.
Forever.
He looked at me, his eyes tired.
“Pres came to get us,” Gi said to me as she hugged me. “He hasn’t left your side for one second.”
* * *
“Did you beat up Beth?” Iris asked.
“Yeah,” I said with a big smile. “Bitch had it coming.”
“You’re crazy, girl,” Kip said. "I like it.”
“Did you punch her?” Gi asked.
“I slammed her face off the hood of my SUV,” I said.
“What?” Barr asked. “Christ…”
“I learned from the best,” I said, eyeing them all.
“That’s cold,” Iris said. “And dirty. And cheap. And dangerous. I like it. Told you we need you here, Ti. All of us need you here.”
“Here I am,” I said. “Guess I’m not leaving just yet.”
“You’re here for good, sugar,” Pres said, finally speaking.
He kept hanging back, putting too much distance between me and him.
“We would have helped you,” Gi said. “I’d love to get a piece of Beth.”
“She said she had a gun,” I said. “She tried to scare me away. So I chased her down with my SUV. I was going to run her over but decided not to.”
“Holy shit,” Barr said.
“I stopped and got out and showed her the clean shine on the SUV’s hood. A few times.”
“My hero,” Iris said.
“Told you she was awesome,” Gi said to Iris.
“Don’t say it that way. I have trust issues.”
“I think everyone in this town does,” I said.
I looked at Kip. He looked away.
I looked at Barr. He looked down.
I looked at Pres. He stared right back at me.
“I’m happy you’re awake, girl,” Kip said. “Claire called us.”
“Where is she?” I asked.
“She’ll be here soon,” Barr said.
“She’s on site somewhere?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Barr said.
I felt like he was lying to me.
Drugs?
I shut my eyes and chased the thought away.
There was a knock at the door and it slowly opened.
I thought it was Claire.
It wasn’t.
It was Tucker.
My father.
With flowers.
“Bad time?” he asked.
Pres finally made a move.
He moved so fast I thought he was going to tackle Tucker.
I sucked in a breath.
Barr must have sensed my worry because he went after Pres.
“Really bad time,” Pres said as he stood with every muscle in his body flexed.
He was taller than Tucker. Bigger. Stronger. More of a man than Tucker could ever be.
“Just wanted to drop these off and make sure she was okay,” Tucker said.
“She has everyone she needs right here,” Pres said.
“Right.” Tucker gave Pres the flowers. “Make sure she gets these then.”
“No,” I said. “Let him stay. Actually, give me a minute with him. Alone.”
Pres looked back at me.
“Please,” I said.
Pres shoved the flowers back to Tucker.
He waved his hand and everyone followed him out of the hospital room.
I was alone with my father.
“Tinsley…”
“I’m fine,” I said. “I’m alive. The doctor said I can go home in a couple days. Nothing is broken. Or damaged. Or whatever.”
“What happened?” Tucker asked.
“Went off the road,” I said.
“Claire told me…”
“Of course she did,” I said.
“I don’t know what you want me to say here,” Tucker said. “I’ve been as honest as I can be.”
“Put the flowers down,” I said. “I actually like red roses. They’re my favorite.”
Tucker smiled. “Was hoping so. Your mother loves them too.”
“Yeah,” I said.
Speaking of which…
I blinked fast.
Mom wasn’t here. Of course she wasn’t here. She probably didn’t even know. If she found out I was in an accident she would check herself out of rehab and come to the hospital. Then that would set her back.
And just like that, in a crazy twist of fate, the woman who sort of raised me wasn’t here and the man who sort of abandoned me was.
Tucker put the flowers down and turned, folding his arms. “Anything I can get you?”
“What exactly do you do for Claire?”
“What?”
“You’re not in real estate,” I said. “You’re not in construction either. So what do you do?”
Tucker’s face looked tightened.
Stuck between lying to his own daughter and protecting his own ass.
I laughed.
“I know more than you think I know,” I said. “Thanks for checking up on me.”
“It was never supposed to be this way,” he said. “All of it. I wanted you and Kait to have a better life. I mean that, Tinsley. What Amber did was horrible. And when Kait had the chance to come here and settle in… I thought it was the right thing for her. But it wasn’t. That’s why when I found out you were coming here, I had to do something.”
“You got your ass kicked.”
“Yeah, I did,” Tucker said. “Those guys really protect you.”
“Yeah, they do.”
“I’m trying to do the same.”
“You failed. Look at everything you’ve ever done. Amber died. Mom is in rehab. Kait is dead. I’m in a hospital bed.”
“That hurts,” Tucker said.
“It’s supposed to hurt. Please leave.”
Tucker didn’t put up a fight.
He knew I was right.
And he knew if he said anything about Claire it would fall right back on him.
And if Claire was really involved in something crazy then Tucker could get hurt or killed.
He exited the room and Gi and Iris took his place.
“They want to talk to you,” Gi said.
“They?” I asked.
“The Rulz,” Iris said. “One by one. Alone.”
“Are you okay with that?” Gi asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “We need to finish all of this.”
“We’re going to go get something to eat,” Iris said. “We’ll b
ring you something back. If you need anything, text us.”
“I will,” I said. “Worse case, I press a button for the nurse and they’ll kick them out.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Gi asked.
“I don’t know what I am anymore,” I said. “But I do know the thought of not being near you two as my best friends… that hurts. And the thought of not being in BFH… that hurts.”
“We love you, Ti,” Iris said. “We mean it. I mean it.”
“I love you both too,” I said.
I watched them walk away and I felt that same little bit of jealousy knowing their friendship was better than anything the three of us could ever have. But maybe when I got out of the hospital and stuck around that could change little by little each day.
Kip and Barr came into the room.
“So much for alone, huh?” I asked.
“You’re going to let us talk now, love,” Barr said. “You’re going to listen carefully too.”
Kip stood at the side of the bed. “I loved her, girl.”
“I know you did,” I said. “I’m sorry for what happened to her.”
“There was just something about you that pulled me in,” Kip said. “The same way she did. It was quick. It was addicting. It was fun. Looking at you gave me a sense of life I hadn’t felt since her.”
I swallowed hard. “Oh, Kip… I could feel it. The way you looked at me. I knew something was happening.”
Kip took my left hand and kissed it. “But you were right. It was all fake. Trust me, girl, I care about you. I will do anything to protect you and help you. But this heart thing… that ain’t us. I look at you and I see Kait. I always will. But I also know who you are. Who Tinsley Ditkiss is. And that badass chick who knows how to use a screwdriver and the hood of a SUV as a weapon… well, she has a place in my heart.”
I blinked fast. I took a shaky breath. “Maybe someday I can know more about my sister.”
“Maybe, girl. Maybe.”
Kip looked away and stepped away.
Barr stepped forward and sat on the edge of the bed. He reached into his pocket and brought out a pack of cigarettes.
“You look like you need a smoke, love,” he said.
“Yeah, sure,” I said. “Light one up for me. Why not?”
“Really?” Barr asked.
“No,” I said.
He laughed. “Of course not. Still trying to find some innocence in there, huh?”
“Nothing about me is innocent, Barr. Never was. You just fantasized about it. Like some horny dude.”
Barr nodded. “I guess you got me there, love. We had fun though. Right?”
“Sure.”
“I’m, uh, not exactly all that great with words. I’m more of an action kind of guy.”
“No shit,” I said.
“What would happen if I lit up a cigarette right here?” Barr asked with a laugh.
“I think Dr. Joe would fight you. I mean, he looks skinny and all but he has that ninja look. He’d start kicking the air and stuff. Scary.”
“Scary,” Barr said. “I love the way your mind works, love.”
“Glad I’m here for your pleasure.”
Barr looked back at Kip who was standing at the window. He looked lost. Really lost. This entire thing had obviously kicked up all those old feelings about Kait. The memories that weren’t so easily dead. No matter how tough you were or how much you tried to be tough enough to let shit go.
“Need you to know something, love,” Barr said.
My attention went back to him. “Oh?”
“What you saw. What I did. That was all on purpose.”
“I know,” I said. “Kip told me…”
Kip turned his head and nodded. “Some things are hard to completely forget, girl. When you feel what you feel and have nowhere to place it.”
“But we’re solid on that,” Barr said.
“Yeah, we are,” Kip said.
He moved from the window and went to the door. At the last second he looked back and blew me a kiss.
I brought my right hand to my mouth and blew him a kiss back.
Not as a lover. Not as someone in love with him like that.
It was different.
And it was right.
When it was down to just Barr and I, his face became suddenly honest.
“Everything I told you and showed you was real, love,” he said. “You can roll your eyes at me but if I really wanted into those little, pink panties of yours I could have gotten there much easier than what I showed you.”
“How so?” I asked.
Barr reached for my cheek and stroked it with the back of his hand. “You and me. Something to drink. A piano. Music. I know exactly what to play and how to play it to get the mood the way I need it to be. Finish the song, stand up, share a drink. Sit you on the piano and play a whole different kind of music.”
Barr leaned toward me.
Inches from my face.
I swallowed hard.
“Got it?” he whispered.
“Okay,” I said. “Fine. You win.”
“That’s what I thought, love.”
“Don’t tell anyone I said that,” I said.
“Our secret,” he said. He backed away. “I wanted to show you the real side of me.”
“You like it so much, Barr. The music. That underground club. you have so much talent. Why not use it?”
“I am, love,” he said. He stood up. “See, people think when you’re rich you can just do whatever you want. I guess in a way that’s true. But the more you have, the more people want to take. The more you have, the more you have to lose. So you have to navigate carefully. Set yourself up for what you want.”
“The building…”
“That’s part of it,” Barr said. “One step at a time, love. Have to carefully distance myself from the legacy left for me.” He shrugged his shoulders. “The Richter name will never be the same after me.”
“I can understand why your parents must be nervous then,” I said.
“Nah, not because of me. They’re too busy worried about your new mom and all that happens down in HCH.”
“Right,” I said.
“Something about you, love, just made me want to open up,” Barr said.
“Are you getting soft on me, Barrington?” I asked.
He laughed. “Trust me, love, when I look at you, nothing is soft.”
“Did you say that to the whore in your bedroom?”
“Probably,” Barr said. “Cheap moves never fail. And I didn’t want to hurt you with that.”
“But you did.”
“And I had to.”
“You had to…”
“Of course I did,” Barr said. He touched my cheek again and smiled. “You and Kip… that was never going to be a real thing. He’s hung up on someone else. You and me? We would have some wild fun. But it would be temporary, love. Your eyes and heart were always on the first one you saw. No matter what you saw.”
“Meaning?”
Barr opened his mouth but the hospital door opened.
I turned my head. “Pres…”
Barr leaned down and brushed his lips to my cheek. “It was always Pres, love. And all three of us will always protect you. But your heart was always only meant for one.”
Barr backed away and I grabbed his hand.
I squeezed it tight.
I smiled and my eyes filled with tears.
He winked and pulled his hand away. He reached into his pocket and took out his cigarettes. After sticking one between his lips he turned and nodded to Pres. They passed by each other without a word.
Barr was gone and Pres stood over me in my hospital bed.
“You were by my side the whole time?” I asked.
Pres nodded.
“Why?” I asked.
“Because I love you, sugar.”
nineteen
nineteen
My heart raced faster than I could ever remember in my life.
> Being hooked up to a machine to prove it made my cheeks turn red. There was no hiding what Pres’s words did to me. Or meant to me.
He grabbed my right hand and interlocked our fingers.
“Pres…”
“What happened, sugar?”
I blinked fast. The tears were real. And they weren’t going to slow or stop.
“I did it,” I whispered. “I did it on purpose.”
Pres shut his eyes for a second. “I know. I wanted to hear you say it.”
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered.
“You don’t have to be sorry, sugar. For anything. Ever.”
“It was just a bad moment in my head,” I said. “Everything at once, okay? I found out so much at once. It all came crashing down, Pres. Watching you attack Devin…”
“Do you still feel for him?”
“No,” I said. “I swear on my life. No. But just seeing the way my two lives could collide together scared me. Not even the past and the present. But the poor and the rich. Two very different kinds of lives. And believe me, Devin deserved that beating. Probably more.”
“You took care of Beth though,” Pres said.
“Yeah, I did. I left and I had nowhere to go. I was lost, Pres. I was just driving. Thinking. Everything crushing me. I knew it was all fake. Everything with us. You were after something from me that wasn’t real. Something that was never there. I knew that and wanted to fight back. I wanted to hurt you all. Embarrass you all. And it didn’t work out.”
“No, it didn’t,” Pres said. “When I saw you in Kip’s room… on his bed… I never felt anything like that in my life, sugar.”
“Jealousy?”
“Like you couldn’t fucking imagine.”
A smile crept across my face. “You were jealous of me.”
Pres didn’t speak to that comment. To that truth.
“I never want you to drive again, sugar,” Pres said.
“Yeah, sure,” I said.
“I’ll hire someone to drive you around for the rest of your life.”
“Pres…”
“I’m not kidding.”
“It’s not going to happen,” I said. “I’m fine.”
“I know you are,” he said. “Looking at you though, sugar… just sitting in that chair over there. I had no idea if you were ever coming back. You leaving BFH was bad enough, but leaving everywhere for good? No. That’s not allowed. You can’t do that.”
“Sometimes we don’t get that choice, Pres,” I said. “Money can’t buy life.”
UNTamed: a bay falls high novel Page 17
